Inner Strength, Outer Battles
by LifesLikeThat
Summary: Post OOTP; The war is beginning and extreme measures must be taken to protect those who are important to the fight against Voldemort. Harry and Ginny and many others must make difficult decisions and personal sacrifices if the war is to be won
1. A Normal Day at The Burrow

Inner Strength, Outer Battles A Post Order of the Phoenix Harry Potter Fanfiction by LifesLikeThat Chapter One – A Normal Day at The Burrow It was a hot summer's day when 15-year-old Ginny Weasley returned home for the first time in well over a year. The self-confident young redhead had just finished her fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, for Ginny was a witch just as every other member of her family was magical. However, she had not spent the majority of the previous summer at home. Molly and Arthur Weasley, Ginny's parents, were members of the Order of the Phoenix. The Order was an organisation set up by Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, to fight against Voldemort, the dark wizard who was currently trying to take over both the wizarding and Muggle (non-magical) world's, who had just regained his body after fifteen years. Up until very recently the British Ministry of Magic had denied that Voldemort had been reborn and so the Order had been top-secret and for that reason all of the school age Weasley children along with their parents and oldest brother, Bill, had spent the previous summer at 12 Grimmauld Place, London – the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. Shortly before the end of the school year though, thanks to the efforts of Harry Potter and five of his friends including Ginny and her brother Ron, the Ministry had been forced to accept that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named really was back and plans had been made to fight him openly. Even though Ginny was very pleased to be home again at last a small part of her wished that it hadn't come at such a price. The six of them had set off on what they thought was a rescue mission and ended up falling in a trap set to capture Harry Potter and force him to hand over a prophecy from within the Department of Mysteries to the death eaters. They had all been injured in the attack although the training Harry had given them as members of the DA (Dumbledore's Army, the secret defence against the dark arts group he had formed) had meant that they had put up a good fight. It had seemed as though they would lose that fight though until several members of the Order of the Phoenix had arrived. The Order members had taken over the fight and eventually with the arrival of Albus Dumbledore had managed to capture all of the death eaters. However the day had not had a happy ending. Sirius Black, a member of the Order had died. Sirius had been Harry Potter's Godfather and the only real father figure he had ever known. He had also been able to give Harry the hope that one day he would eventually be able to leave the house he shared with his only living relatives who despised him. But now he was dead. Even though Harry was her brother Ron's best friend not hers, Ginny thought that she knew him well enough to realise that he was blaming himself and believed that he had killed his Godfather just as much as if he had walked up to him and pushed him through that veil. With the exception of Harry Potter, each of the school age combatants had spent a few days in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts recuperating and some of the order members had too. Tonks, a young Auror who also worked for the Order and who Ginny looked up to very much, had had to spend some time in St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries and Maladies but she too had eventually recovered. Sirius' death had been the only one that occurred that day, in a way it could be viewed as acceptable – they had finally managed to prove to Cornelius Fudge the Minister of Magic that Lord Voldemort had returned and so measures could be put into place to fight against the Dark Side. One death that could possibly prevent thousands, that was acceptable. Wasn't it? No it wasn't. Sirius had people who loved him, who cared for him, who felt lost without him and they needed their loss to be acknowledged. They didn't need to be patted on the head and sent off to live with people who despised them and viewed them as a freak because they just happened to be magical, as Harry had happened. Ginny was extremely worried about Harry and happy as she was to be back home, she wished that he was them – even if it had meant that they had had to remain at Grimmauld Place she would have gladly have given up the chance to be home for the first time in over a year if it meant that the "Boy who Lived" was with people who loved and cared for him, who valued him and considered him part of their family. They needed him there with them too, they needed the comfort of being with someone else who had known the truth about Sirius (who had been on the run from the magical law enforcement squad after escaping from Azkaban the wizard prison where he had been held for 12 years after being wrongly convicted of a crime he did not commit) and grieved his death as they did.  
  
They needed to know that he was as safe as possible for whilst he was physically safe at the Dursley's and protected from evil, his closest friends (and whilst Ginny couldn't realistically include herself in that category, she believed she knew Harry well) had noticed that he had become increasingly withdrawn and whilst no one had said anything, Ginny knew that they all knew that nothing good could come of that and were worried about the possibility of Harry doing something reckless and dangerous because he believed it was for the best. This was especially the case because Harry was idolised throughout the wizarding world for something that had happened when he was a baby. It wasn't easy for him being famous for something he didn't remember and which had resulted in the death of his parents. Ginny and her family knew this. The Weasley's knew the real Harry not the legend that everyone else saw when they saw him and so it was with them and their friend Hermione Granger that he needed to be. She might have outgrown her crush on the "Boy who Lived" but ever since she had broken up with her boyfriend Michael Corner, Ginny had had a new interest – The Boy who was Harry Potter. The youngest Weasley just wished that she could make the whole world see him that way and get them to give him the break he deserved. Suddenly startled from her thoughts by her mothers shout, the sassy young redhead headed back towards the house and dinner, little knowing how soon that wish would come true – and the sacrifices it would involve. Molly Weasley was pleased to be at home with all of her children around her even if it was only for a few days. They were at war and once you had lived through a war you learned to appreciate the small things – like being at home surrounded by all your family for the first time in well over a year, like the not quite apology her son Percy had offered after the attack at the ministry, like the understanding they had reached that had brought him home again. Percy had treated them appallingly when he had disowned his family and put his own ambition above those who loved him. She would never admit to it if questioned, but she was even grateful for every little joke that Fred and George played – even if she did shout at them for it. This train of thought continued as she gave her children instructions to help her clear the table for dessert and as she prepared the dessert. However, less than one minute after she had put the plates on the table all hell broke lose as it often did in the Weasley household. Charlie turned red with orange stripes, and yellow dots, jumped up from the kitchen table where they were eating dinner and turned back flips all around the room for twenty minutes before turning back to normal, and chasing Fred and George around the room threatening to hex them for giving him back flip brownies instead of the chocolate brownies that on the table for dessert. Sometimes, laughter really was the best medicine, and it definitely was another thing you learned to appreciate during wartime. Several happy yet busy days followed as the Weasley's enjoyed their little holiday at home before returning to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. The younger Weasley's played many games of Quidditch, the twins played jokes on everyone and Percy told them not to. They went on family picnics by the river simply enjoying the chance to be together and one day they even went on a trip to a Muggle cinema and enjoyed their first film. The casual, carefree happiness of summer that masked the fear they all felt came to an abrupt end a couple of days before their planned trip to Grimmauld Place when Albus Dumbledore turned up unannounced and accompanied by Harry Potter. "I'm sorry to disturb you Arthur, Molly." said Dumbledore "but I was wondering if we could take this opportunity to discuss a few matters regarding Mr. Potter and also your daughter?" Arthur Weasley felt his world grind to a crashing halt as he realised what the old headmaster was their for and as a result barely took any notice of the exact details of the discussion that was taking place. That is, until his wife began an argument with the great wizard who stood in front of them, obviously very upset. "No!" the anguished cry came from Molly Weasley, who felt like she was being strangled, like she couldn't breathe. Albus Dumbledore was mad, there was no way she was sending her youngest child off to who knew where with Harry Potter and only a young Auror who didn't have children and didn't know how to deal with them and a werewolf for company. She didn't care how big the threat from You-Know-Who was; surely sending two teenagers who had just discovered their hormones to spend god knows how long with no contact with family or friends and very little supervision was a very bad move! She trusted her Ginny but she had had a crush on Harry for years and who knew what she would do without her around to guide her? Plus, Harry had never had a proper family apart from those dreadful Muggles; who knew if he would behave properly under those circumstances without appropriate supervision? No matter what the danger to Ginny from Voldemort because of these supposed extra powers of healing she possessed, surely there had to be a safer solution then sending her off for god knows how long with only The Boy-Who- Lived and a clumsy young Auror for company. Even if she trusted Remus Lupin, which she did, and liked Nymphadora Tonks, which she did, it didn't mean she was going to send her only daughter off to spend god only knew how long with just them. Didn't Dumbledore realise that you wanted, no needed to be with your family during wartime and that young girls Ginny's age needed their mother, not an Auror who viewed them as a friend and was only a few years older than them? "Molly they must go; it is the only way we can guarantee their safety." the old Headmaster told her. "Tonks and Remus will take good care of them." "I'll go with them as well" she said, resolute that should her only daughter really have to go into hiding she wouldn't be going without her. "No Molly, the boys need you here. You have to trust Lupin and Tonks," her husband said. "I know; we can all go. Then all the children will be safe." Molly was grasping at straws in her attempt to avoid the simple truth that she was going to have to trust her darling Ginny to her friends and hope and pray that they kept her safe; that nothing happened to her. "I'm afraid, Molly, that that is not possible." Albus Dumbledore said sadly, knowing that this was not what either of them wanted to hear. Arthur Weasley went to his wife and wrapped his arms around her as she broke down in tears at the thought that her baby was in real mortal danger and the undeniable truth that she really was going to have to say goodbye to her for an unknown length of time. 


	2. Unbalanced and Uncertain

Inner Strength, Outer Battles Disclaimer: If I owned the Harry Potter universe and all the characters this would be published in a book, not on the Internet. Chapter Two – Unbalanced and uncertain There was no doubt about it; this day had quite possibly been the one most surreal day of sixteen-year-old Harry Potter's life (and that included the day when he discovered his whole life had been a lie and he was, in fact, a wizard). There was definitely no doubt that it had not turned out as he had expected. For one thing, he had expected to spend the day doing chores and getting shouted at by his Aunt and Uncle for being a "worthless, good for nothing freak". Instead he had been rescued by Nymphadora Tonks, Mad-Eye Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Remus Lupin and escorted by them and another unknown contingent of witches and wizards acting as a rear guard to 12 Grimmauld Place, London – the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. There he had had a brief meeting with Albus Dumbledore, which had gone only slightly better than their last meeting, in that whilst once again he couldn't believe what he was being told and he did get angry, he didn't end up wrecking the room and destroying half the contents of the room in which they met as he had done previously. He was going to have to leave Hogwarts, the only real home he had ever known. Leave school and all his friends and go into hiding. Harry had tried to say that he wasn't going, that he was going to face what was coming and face it head on. He was a Potter, and Potter's didn't hide. However, no one had listened to his arguments. Once again, as had happened many times in his fifteen years on this earth, someone else had made a decision about what was best for him and had not taken his wishes into account. Sometimes, Harry couldn't wait to be two years older and be a fully qualified adult wizard. They would have to listen to him then. So here he was, many thousands of miles away from home and those he considered to be his real family. No, he had never expected to end the day in a strange country after being told that in all likelihood he would be spending almost all of the next year here for his own safety. It was, in fact, the first time Harry had ever left the United Kingdom – the Dursley's having always left him with Mrs. Figg when they took their yearly holiday to Majorca. Plus he had started the day with only Hedwig, Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and their precious Dudley for company and ended it living with Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks... and Ginny Weasley. His first real thought when he had realised that he was not going to win that argument was that at least no one else would have their lives severely affected by this – sure his friends would probably miss him (and he would really miss them) but they would be able to get on with their normal lives whilst he was away. Except, that wasn't to be the case either. It turned out that Ginny Weasley, his best friend's younger sister and someone who Harry had just begun to consider a friend in her own right after the events of the past year, would also be joining him in hiding for reasons that Harry wasn't privy too. It was probably all his fault though. Everyone he had ever been close too had died because of him. It had started with his parents, and then Cedric at the end of his fourth year and now Sirius had died trying to rescue him from a mess of his own making. Everything bad that happened to the people around him was his fault and they would all be so much better off without him. Of course, no one was ever going to let two teenagers go into hiding alone, especially when one had for many years had a crush on the other, even if they had since outgrown it. Consequently, for that very reason, they were to be accompanied by Remus Lupin, their former Defence against the Dark Arts professor and who had also been a close friend of Harry's parents, and Nymphadora Tonks, a young Auror who was also a member of the Order. So there they were, somewhere in the depths of Africa. Away from all they knew and held dear, holed up in a little house with only each other for company. Remus Lupin surveyed his companions and the room in which they sat. It was a relatively plain room with little in the way of frills or decorations. The walls were light blue and what little furniture there was in the room was plain and functional, doing nothing to add character to their surroundings. The whole place just screamed "rented house", a place that had never had the chance to be turned into a real home. It didn't seem to be a good place to be spending the next year. Feeling the need to do something, Lupin got up from his seat and began to pace around the room. There was a big window that dominated the wall opposite the door. The view from the window was of the grounds surrounding the house in which they were to stay – there was a grassy area, a few trees and in the distance a watering hole around which a few animals stood. He spent a few minutes contemplating the view from the window before turning to look at the people he was with. Nymphadora Tonks was not using her Metamorphmagus powers and instead was in her so-called "natural" state. She had the blonde curls she kept short and brown eyes that she had been born with, a look she frequently avoided. Tonks, as she preferred to be called, believed that as she had the power to change her appearance at will she should do so at every possible opportunity. However, she had been required to resume her natural state whilst they were travelling across International wizarding borders. He was quite surprised that she had not returned to one of her more outlandish guises as soon as the opportunity had presented itself. Then again, he supposed it must take a lot of energy to instigate such changes in your appearance and they were all very tired after their eventful day. Ginny Weasley sat staring off into space. She was normally a very outgoing and confident young girl who he remembered fondly both from when he had taught her at Hogwarts and also from the previous summer they had spent living at Headquarters. Her long red hair was loose and shielding most of her face from view, meaning that Remus was not able to tell so well what she was thinking. She was, however, a lot quieter than she usually was. Too quiet for his liking. Then there was his final companion and the one who gave him the biggest cause for concern. Harry Potter. There was no doubt about it; the poor boy had suffered some of the worst things a person could ever suffer. He had come through everything seemingly unscathed and continued to survive. Life just kept kicking him in the teeth though. First his parents died and he was sent to live with his Muggle Aunt and Uncle who despised him. Then he discovered he was a wizard and went to Hogwarts. His suffering didn't end there though; he faced Voldemort for the second time in his young life and walked away from that encounter to be sent back to his hateful relatives for the summer. His second year he had killed a basilisk with the sword of Godric Gryffindor, and rescued young Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets. He had nearly died in the process. The tired old werewolf's heart ached when he thought of Harry's parents – his best friend, James, and his wife Lily, who had died when their son was little more than a year old. Even though he had not been named as godfather because of his status as a werewolf, his friends had told him that they considered an unofficial second godfather, and that were it possible, they would have made it official. For most of his life, Harry hadn't had him or his real Godfather Sirius Black there to look out for him. However he had been able to take up a teaching position at Hogwarts during the boy's third year and towards the end of the year, the truth about the night his parent's died came out and Harry had met his godfather for the first time. He had still had to return to Privet Drive and his Muggle relatives for the summer though because of the little matter of Sirius being on the run after having escaped from Azkaban (the wizard prison) where he had spent the previous twelve years after being framed for thirteen murders he did not commit. Harry's fourth and fifth years in the Wizarding world were his worst yet – culminating three weeks ago in the death of Sirius, the only real father figure and source of hope for a better life young Harry had ever had. Then barely an hour after the second death Harry had witnessed in less than a year, he had found out exactly why You-Know-Who wanted to kill him. It just so happened that a prophecy had been made which stated that either Harry had to kill Voldemort or he would be killed by him, there was no alternative. Lupin shook his head as he realised just how amazing it was that the son of his friends was as sane and near normal as he was considering all he had been through. That was what the next year was for though. Dumbledore had explained to the members of the Order that he believed the best way to ensure that Harry would be able to defeat You-Know-Who was to send him into hiding. The time he spent in hiding could be used to give him accelerated training in order to give him more of a chance when the final battle came. That was fine, Lupin completely understood the logic behind that idea and had willingly agreed to accompany him. It was the least he could do for the boy he considered to be the son he had never had. James, Lily and Sirius may not be able to be with Harry, but he could be and he planned to be the best possible father substitute. Tonks looked up and smiled as she watched Remus pacing around the room. He looked as uncomfortable as she felt. "Hey, you guys?" She spoke up deciding that it was probably a good idea to break the silence that lingered between the four of them before it lasted any longer. "Yeah?" said Ginny uninterestedly, as the other two looked on silently. "Is everyone OK? Do you need anything?" Tonks continued, knowing that the truth was the two teenagers were anything but all right, but feeling the need to ask anyway. Lupin nodded encouragingly, to show that he was fine, and that she had had the right idea. "Fine," retorted Harry, who didn't seem to be in the slightest way fine whatsoever. Ginny didn't answer. She just sat there and continued to stare off into space. This worried the Auror and she walked over towards the girl she liked to think of as the little sister she never had and sat down next to her. "Alright?" she asked softly. She felt very unsure of what she was supposed to do to make her feel better. She was an Auror, not a mother and she had little experience of comforting anyone her own age, having found her special powers as a Metamorphmagus had made it very difficult for her to make lasting friendships before she had joined the Order. However she had to do something, anything, to make the normally sassy young redhead more comfortable. Tonks saw that Ginny's lip quivered as she sat there and she was obviously fighting a losing battle against tears as her eyes had that glassy appearance they often had when someone was upset. Just as she was about to reach out to her, and attempt to offer some reassurance, Ginny jumped up and ran from the room. The youngest Weasley ran from the sitting room straight into the room she had been told would be hers. She slammed the door behind her and threw herself down onto the bed. Burying her head in the mountain of yellow pillows, that complimented the red paint on the walls and covered the bed, she burst into tears. What she wouldn't give right now to see her mother and have her hug her in the way that only she could. The way that made you feel that no matter what had happened everything was going to be ok. She wasn't going to get that hug though, was she? Ginny lay there crying for a good few minutes. She wasn't sure how long had passed when she heard the door open. Tonks slipped into the room and looked down at the crying girl, feeling her heartbreak at what she saw. She sat down on the bed next to her and pulled her into a sitting position next to her. "Ginny, is there anything I can get for you?" Ginny made a noise halfway between a laugh and a sob and answered bitterly "Not unless you can get my mum," knowing that that was impossible. The Metamorphmagus knew that Ginny was unaware of the reasons why she had had to go into hiding with Harry and that that had made it doubly difficult for the young girl to say goodbye to her family and leave them behind to face the next year completely alone. Even Tonks herself wasn't fully sure of the reasons behind the decision but she wasn't one to question the decisions of Albus Dumbledore. He wasn't the sort of person you could question, for one thing, he just always gave the impression that he knew what was happening and also that he knew more than he was letting on. Still, none of that would be any help to her right now. She needed to calm Ginny down and try to help her begin to accept the situation. "I know I'm not as good as your mum. I could never hope to replace her, but I'm here if you need someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on. Remus and me aren't just here to protect you, you know. We're here to look after you too." Slipping an arm around the crying girl she drifted off into silence. Tonks sat watching as she struggled to regain control of her emotions and stop crying. She said nothing as the minutes passed silently, hoping that her presence alone would be adequate reassurance and wondering exactly what she had gotten herself into. She could guard Ginny and Harry in her sleep. She had had loads of experience of pulling guard duty in countless different situations. That was one of the most important parts of what being an Auror was all about. To be a parental figure to two teenagers, who had been taken from their families in order to protect them, wasn't something she could do though. She just hoped Dumbledore knew what he was doing; she wasn't cut out to be a mother. She was just a clumsy Auror who was little more than six years older then them and didn't think she even wanted children of her own. Or at least, not at anytime in the near future. "I k-know," Ginny spoke haltingly as she still hadn't quite stopped crying. "But its j-just I wish she could hug me and tell me it'll all be ok, like she used to when I was a little girl." "I can't promise that it'll all be ok, sweetie. But I can promise that we'll all do our best to see that it is. And I may not be as good at hugging as your mother but I can give it my best shot." Pulling Ginny into a tight hug the two remained that way for some time until Remus knocked on the door to check on them. After Ginny had washed away the traces of tears that remained on her face, she and Tonks went back through to join Harry and Remus in the other room. Harry looked up and smiled at Ginny when she re-entered the room. He figured that all this was probably a lot harder on her then it was on him. She had an actual family who loved her that she had had to leave behind. All he had was relatives who thought he was a freak and didn't want anything to do with him and a few close friends who were all in danger because of him. Seeing her run from the room clearly on the verge of tears had upset him but he hadn't known what he could do to help her so he had left it to Tonks. Besides, he figured that Ginny would probably prefer to be comforted by another girl than by him. "We made some sandwiches, would you like some?" he offered gesturing to the dinner that he and Remus had made. Ginny smiled back somewhat shyly, she was a little embarrassed about her earlier behaviour. "Yeah, I guess I am a little hungry." She quickly sat at the table and helped herself to a ham and cheese sandwich. "Well, I don't think either of us would win any awards for the world's best cook, but hopefully those sandwiches will meet with your approval." Joked Remus. Tonks pretended to be shocked by the news that the two men had made dinner without any help and without being prompted. "You two made food? Are you sure you want to take that risk, Ginny?" sarcasm was a gift of Tonks' that she used to the best of her abilities now "Don't know if I'd risk it." She was pleased to hear Ginny give a short laugh in response – she was clearly feeling better. The meal passed quickly, nobody really ate a lot but dinner could officially be considered a success. They made idle small talk about the journey to Africa, the house they were staying in and the wonderful view they had of the plains outside. After they had finished eating, Remus explained the mechanics of the version of the Fidelius charm that they had been placed under. Basically they were hiding under a different variation of the charm to the one that Harry's parents had used fifteen years previously. It meant that nobody looking for them other then those who they were in hiding with could find them. Where it differed was that they were not confined to the house and garden; instead the charm covered a certain distance surrounding the house giving them a limited amount of freedom. The charm also allowed them to hide in plain sight their most distinguishing features such as Harry's scar and Ginny's distinctive Weasley red hair. Meaning that they need not worrying about interacting with any people they may meet. Silence fell over the four of them once again as the two teenagers sat and digested both the meal and the events of the day. It wasn't the uncomfortable silence that had reigned earlier. Instead it was more relaxed and felt totally natural – as though they were comfortable with each other and the situation. While that wasn't completely the case they certainly were a lot more at ease then they had been just two hours earlier. The hour grew later and Remus sent the two teenagers towards their beds, explaining that they would have a busy day the next day and would need to be up early. 


	3. The First Day

Chapter Three: The First Day  
  
None of the four reluctant travellers slept that well that night, being as they were in an unsettlingly situation and in a strange place. So for that reason it was a very quiet and subdued foursome that met for breakfast, much earlier then they had been planning to. Neither Harry nor Ginny had been quite sure where they were when they first woke and they both had laid in bed for a few minutes before the memory of the previous days events returned to them and the realisation of where they were and what had happened hit them like a sledge hammer at 100 miles and hour. Tonks and Lupin had both spent sometime in the house prior to going into hiding there with the two teens and so were more comfortable with the situation. However, they too were quiet and pensive. Concerned as they were with keeping the two teens safe but also for their mental well being, both members of the Order of the Phoenix were going for a softly, softly approach and so they too sat in quiet contemplation whilst they ate breakfast. It was, as such, a largely silent meal. An uncomfortable, silent meal if ever there was one and the two adults realised that that was something they needed to overcome if Harry and Ginny were to be as happy as possible during their time in hiding. They recognised that the young Hogwarts students could not be as happy and carefree as they would be were they at the Burrow with Ron, Hermione and the rest of the Weasley's' and acknowledged that there were certain things they must teach the teens but in discussions prior to their arrival had agreed that this time should be as pleasant and painless as possible, and that Harry in particular needed some time to just be Harry not the Boy-who- Lived, saviour of the wizarding world. So for this reason Remus had packed pictures of the Marauders at Hogwarts and also afterwards that he could share with the boy he considered his honorary godson as well as some of Lily and James' favourite books and other trinkets, knowing as he did, that Harry was desperate for any thing that might bring him closer to the parents he never knew. This had been painful for the former professor but something that he felt he needed to do for young Harry and something he had been strangely pleased, perhaps even honoured to be able to do. He just hoped he would find the opportunity to share these with Harry and even more so that he could find the words when the right time presented itself. Tonks had taken a slightly different approach to her preparations for the trip. The young Auror had a very fun loving personality, and knew that Harry had not had a proper childhood prior to starting at Hogwarts at age 11 and god only knew he had had precious few opportunities for fun whilst there, particularly in the last few years. She also realised that Ginny must feel slightly overlooked growing up as she had the youngest of seven children and the only girl. Tonks herself had been an only child until her younger brother had been born when she was 15 and so that wasn't something she had experienced as such for herself, but after some of the things she had seen during the previous summer she knew that although she loved all of her children, Molly Weasley had precious little time to give any of them one to one individual attention and she had a feeling that this was something Ginny really needed and longed for. Her idea had been to pack things that could be fun and that could also serve as a valuable distraction should Harry start to become moody and depressed again, blaming himself as was his tendency, for the events of the previous years. So into her trunk went muggle board games such as Twister, a Frisbee, some shot glasses and a bottle of Old Ogden's Firewhiskey (although she supposed Harry and Ginny at not quite 16 and only just 15 respectively were probably too young to be given that - she was after all supposed to be responsible as she was their guardian), some of her old clothes she thought Ginny might like, a pair of roller blades, some CD's and an enchanted cd player to play them on, every item of make up and jewellery she had ever owned and even a hula hoop. She was a little eccentric and off the wall sometimes, to say the least of it. In the short time she had known Ginny's parents Arthur and Molly Weasley, Tonks had learnt a lot about them. She knew how much they loved all of their children especially their only daughter who they had so nearly lost once already, and how much they would miss her. The first thing she had noticed the first time she visited their home, The Burrow, was the abundance of photographs of their children that filled every available surface and wall space in the house. For this reason she had also included a camera and plenty of film so that even if her friends could not be with their daughter and the boy they considered their honorary seventh son, they would have pictures of them and be able to look back at them one day when they were reunited with them and see what they have been doing. Their careful preparation and the items they had spent hours selecting could do little to help them in the here and now though. The silence between the two teens and their unwitting guardians was becoming more and more uncomfortable and the two adults exchanged a look, unsure quite how to break it. Eventually, Tonks settled for playing her favourite game. She was sitting directly opposite Ginny and made to catch the young girl's eye. Once she was sure she had her attention she winked at her and then screwed her face up as though in deep concentration changed her hair and eyes to a bright pink and her nose until it resembled a pig snout. Ginny couldn't help herself she burst out laughing and even Harry looked up and grinned when he saw how silly the Auror looked. "Don't you laugh at me, Ginny Weasley," Tonks teased, "I happen to like this look, it's my new favourite." She continued mock seriously. She was trying to act as though she was really insulted by the grins and laughter of her companions but failed miserably and soon cracked up laughing too. They all felt a little bit more normal and in control of the situation after that. It was amazing how good one little laugh could make you feel. The rest of the meal passed quickly with some idle chatter helping to pass the time. It wasn't a lot but it was a vast improvement. As they cleaned up after they finished eating, Tonks outlined the plan for the day. "Right you guys lets get this cleaned up and then we can do something more interesting." She said dropping and smashing a bowl as she spoke. Lupin shook his head at her familiar clumsiness and idly repaired the bowl. "Remus and I were thinking that we could spend this morning exploring the area we're in, see what there is to see and all that. Then this afternoon you two should probably do some school work for a couple of hours." Seeing the look of disgust that passed between the two Hogwarts students in hiding upon hearing that they would still have to study she laughed "just a little everyday, I'm not Hermione, I'm not going to make you do a lot while you're meant to be on your summer holiday. I know how you feel, I know I never wanted to do any schoolwork when I was on holiday but it will be worth it, you'll see." Remus nodded as she said this and added "Plus if you do a little everyday you don't have to do so much when you should be in school again and can still have more time off. Maybe you could have every morning free and do three hours in the afternoons? We'll work something out." Both adults could see that neither of the teens believed this but wisely decided to leave it at that and let the matter drop for now. The four of them were soon stood outside of the house they would soon learn to call home. It was a nice clear day but still sunny. Even though it was still early, not quite 8 am, it was still very warm. There were also signs that it would get a lot hotter before the day was out. They headed down the path they had walked to get to the house the night before. They had been so tired and overwhelmed by everything that had experienced that they had paid little attention to their surroundings. That morning, however, they paid closer attention and saw some things they never thought they would have. The path was long and curved gently to the right after about 100 yards. Grassy plains surrounded the path and stretched almost as far as the eye could see. Far away on the horizon there was a watering hole surrounded by animals such as rhinos. It really was something that none of them had ever thought they would see in their lifetimes, especially not in the current climate in the wizarding world. Nobody said anything much during their walk. They were all too busy taking in their new surroundings to hold a real conversation and so the most that was said was to point out something they had seen or to exclaim over the rhinos and their behaviour. So it was a mostly silent foursome that walked around the encampment they were staying in that morning. The silence was a lot more comfortable than it had been at the breakfast table earlier and the two adults were a lot more content with the situation. The two teens, whilst not yet being completely content with the situation were slightly more relaxed – although it would take someone who knew them both very well to be able to spot that fact. All of a sudden a muggle jeep could be seen heading towards them rapidly. Even though the two teens knew that nobody could find them unless their secret keeper told them where to find them they were slightly unsettled. Ginny went as far as to move slightly closer to Tonks, unconsciously finding reassurance in her close proximity. As he watched Ginny move away from him and towards Tonks, Harry wished he felt like he could seek comfort from the nearness of an adult. His whole life he had had to rely on himself and only himself. The first eleven years of his life he had lived with a family who hated him. His aunt and uncle would have rather of seen him dead then show that they cared for him - if they cared at all. Then from the very first day he had been at Hogwarts he had had to face things that no one should have had to deal with - let alone a child of eleven. That had been a trend that had continued with ever year he had spent in the wizarding world. He had thought that the one person he could trust was Albus Dumbledore the headmaster of Hogwarts. He had been wrong. At the end of his fifth year at Hogwarts his godfather had been killed rescuing him from a trap he had been lured into. That had been the thing to finally convince the supposed greatest wizard in the world that he needed to tell Harry the whole truth. Whilst he was glad to finally know the reason why Voldemort was so determined to kill him, it was a lot for him to deal with. It had also completely destroyed any trust Harry had ever felt in adults and in Dumbledore in particular. So, much as he wished he could copy Ginny and seek comfort by moving closer to the two adults he just couldn't allow himself to show that weakness. Lupin noticed Ginny moving closer to Tonks when she spotted the approaching jeep. He also thought he saw a vaguely unsettled look in Harry's eyes and so decided that he would stop and wait for his best friend's son to catch up with him. Once they were all caught up and walking close together again they continued. Nobody mentioned the jeep but they all breathed a sigh of relief when it drove past them without stopping. Noticing that Ginny still seemed to be more than a little nervous more than twenty minutes after they had seen the jeep and that Harry's eyes continued to dart from place to place as if he were constantly scanning the horizon for some form of impending danger, Lupin decided to reiterate the explanation of the improved version Fidelius charm they were hidden under that he had given them yesterday. "You two do realise that you have nothing to worry about to do with that jeep we just saw, don't you?" he questioned them. Without waiting for a response, he went on "Anyone who we meet or who sees us won't know who we are. I could meet someone new and introduce myself as Remus Lupin and still be safe. The beauty of the charm is that all they will remember is that my name is Remus. And anyone who comes looking for Remus Lupin or Nymphadora Tonks-" he ignored the look on Tonks' face and the low growl of exasperation she gave when he mentioned her hated first name and simply flashed her a smile before continuing, "-Ginny Weasley or Harry Potter will be someone who we know or who knew of us before we went into hiding. They won't be able to find us unless our secret keeper tells them where we are." Both of the teens seemed to relax slightly more upon hearing about the charm protecting them and Tonks took it upon herself to continue the explanation. "I'm not really sure how it works but I do know that it does work. Remus and I spent a week or so here while you two were in school last year setting up the charms and testing them." she smiled at the young girl walking next to her as she went on "After we'd been here for a week Dumbledore sent some members of the Order here and to a couple of other places to try to find us to check that the new version of the charm was working. Kingsley Shacklebolt came here and we both spoke to him everyday for three days." She said referring to her superior in the Auror division at the Ministry of Magic and fellow order member. "I talked to him about cases we've worked on together and teased him about how he likes calling me Nymphadora to wind me up and he still had absolutely no idea who I was." Both teenagers began to relax once more but still seemed a little on edge. As she was a little unsure of how to break the tension that remained before it began to build to uncomfortable levels once again their resident Metamorphmagus screwed her face up as though she was in pain and changed her face until it showed a more then passing resemblance to the Hippos that they could see surrounding a watering hole in the distance. That got quite the laugh from all of her companions and Ginny laughed so much that she had tears of mirth streaming down her face. Laughing and joking the four travellers soon arrived back at the house they were staying in. It appeared that it was Tonks's turn to prepare the lunch and Ginny quickly offered to help. The Auror seemed to be trying to make soup and toasted sandwiches for them to eat. Of course she was more than a little clumsy, and the extent to which Ginny had helped her mother at home before had gone only as far as setting the table and clearing away again after dinner, so it took them a little longer than planned... "My mum gave up trying to teach me how to cook after a while." The Metamorphmagus shared after she knocked a vat of hot soup onto the floor. "Said I was so clumsy that it was a waste of time as I would never get to eat it, just knock it on the floor and that was a was of perfectly good food." She grinned "And she loves her food does my mum." Ginny laughed. "The most cooking I've ever done is to stir something for my mum or butter some bread. I guess I'd like to learn but we don't at Hogwarts and that stupid decree for the restriction of underage sorcery means that mum can't teach me till I'm of age." Then she thought about it a little more and added, "Actually I would like to learn, but only fun things like cakes and sweets." "Well, Ginny, you know that Dumbledore arranged it as a part of the Fidelius charm that you and Harry will be able to do magic whenever you need and for whatever reason..." Tonks trailed off "...So what do you say we learn together? We'll have to start with this stupid lunch." She said gesturing to the mess she had made of the soup, which Ginny was trying to clear up. "But then maybe tonight or tomorrow we could have ourselves a girlie slumber party and have a go at making some sinfully bad treat that will be bad for our figures." The look in the younger girls eyes betrayed just how much she would like that. "I'd love to." she replied. Then she appeared to come over a little unsure of herself again, "If you're sure you don't mind, that is," she quickly amended. Wrapping an arm around Ginny, Tonks shock her slightly and laughed, "of course I don't mind, silly! I always wanted a little sister to do fun things like that with – I was so annoyed when I ended up with a younger brother instead." Having said that, the pink haired older girl picked up a jug of ice water wandered across to place it on the table. Because she had been busy trying to clean up the mess that the spilt soup had made it took a few moments for the exact meaning of what had just been said to dawn on Ginny. As soon as the fact that the woman who she looked up to and respected more than anything had all but said she considered her a sister registered, the young redhead threw herself at the Auror, and hugged her to within an inch of her life. Later that day, after they had eaten and rested on the sofas for a while (they were unused to the heat and it had taken it out of them) Remus insisted that the two teens do some schoolwork for a couple of hours. They had not believed him when it had been mentioned at breakfast, and so it was twin looks of disbelief that met his announcement that it was time to study and request that they fetch writing materials from their rooms. "But, Professor," said Ginny, "We're supposed to be on our summer holidays for another six weeks and I don't have a lot of homework..." "And I don't even have any summer homework, seeing as how I just took my OWLs and all." added Harry, quickly joining in the attempted revolt against the very idea of studying. "C'mon Professor, give us a break!" "It's Remus," their former teacher and current surrogate parent corrected, "and you DO have to study today." "What's the point?" asked Harry; "I'm not sure what subjects I'm taking for my NEWTs yet, and I'd hate for you to waste your time." he finished, looking hopeful. "Plus it's such a nice day. Who can concentrate when they're stuck inside on a day like today?" being unable to claim a lack of homework, Ginny reckoned this was the best excuse she could use. The last remaining Marauder shook his head at the two argumentative teens. He should have known that they wouldn't want to study. "It won't be a waste of my time, Harry, I'm going to teach you both something you won't have learnt about before that Dumbledore feels you both could benefit from knowing about. And, Ginny, if we go out that door" pointing to a door they had not been out of yet, "there is a covered courtyard where we can sit and keep cool. We'll go out there to work – if you promise to concentrate – that is." As soon as Dumbledore's name was mentioned, Harry began to seethe inwardly. He had thought that the old man had promised not to leave him in the dark again after the events in the ministry that had lead to Sirius' death. It appeared that the headmaster had lied to him once more. "I don't think so," Said Harry. "Bad enough that Dumbledore made us spent our summer holiday here and didn't even have the decency to tell us why." He was beginning to shake with barely suppressed rage and more than a little grief; "now he wants us to learn some new subject in our own time without having the decency to explain to us why? He promised me he would tell me the truth from now on, said that I deserved to know. Well, he obviously didn't mean that and I'm not going to do any work towards learning something that he," the contempt in which Harry currently held Albus Dumbledore was all too clear in the tone of his voice, "thinks will help me until I get a full explanation." He finished and moved to leave the room. Lupin grabbed him and stopped him, forcing him into a chair. "Alright, Harry. If you want me too, I'll tell you why we are here. I'll tell you everything, not just what Dumbledore said we could tell you..." 


	4. Secrets, Shared and Secrets, Revealed

Chapter Four – Secrets, Revealed and Secrets, Shared.  
  
Remus Lupin surveyed his three companions, two of whom were sitting  
looking up at him expectantly. They were waiting for him to follow  
through on his promise to explain everything to them. The only problem  
was that would mean breaking another promise. A promise he had made to  
Albus Dumbledore, his mentor, and for most of his life, who before he  
had joined the order had been the only person other than the other  
marauders who had ever treated him as they would treat anyone else even  
though he was a werewolf.  
  
He had agreed that he (along with Tonks) would guard Ginny and Harry  
and care for their well being whilst they were in hiding in Africa.  
However, he had also agreed that he would not share with them the full  
reasons why it was they had had to come into hiding. That was where  
the dilemma lay.  
  
How could he see to their well being when they (especially Ginny) did  
not know why it was they had to be there, and were fighting with them  
to find out why it was, to such an extent that they were refusing to do  
the things they needed to do like learn to use their skills to protect  
themselves and others? A quick glance over at Tonks showed that the  
capable young Auror agreed with his plan to tell them. The only  
problem that remained them was how to tell them - and where exactly to  
start.  
  
"All right, I said I would tell you, and I will. But Harry, you  
already know part of the reason why you have had to come here. Or at  
least, that's what Dumbledore said when I last spoke to him, he said he  
had explained to you about the prophecy."  
  
The sixteen year old nodded at this. He was secretly glad that there  
was somebody else here who knew about the prophecy and so he didn't  
have to keep it all to himself any longer. "Pro- Remus" he corrected  
himself quickly "I'm glad he told you about that, but there's got to be  
more to it then that."  
  
That said the Boy Who Lived went to continue but then he did notice,  
however, that the look of confusion on Ginny's face was mirrored on  
Tonks' face too. "Gin, I know that you don't have much of an idea what  
we're talking about with the prophecy other than the fact that there is  
one and I'm guessing from the look on your face, Tonks, that you don't  
either?"  
  
"I know there was a prophecy about you and You-Know-Who, I saw it in  
the Department of Mysteries but I thought that prophecy had been  
destroyed? That's what Neville said in the hospital wing just before  
the end of term." Ginny questioned.  
  
Tonks nodded in agreement "Albus told us that there was no longer any  
need to guard the Department of Mysteries because the prophecy He Who  
Must Not Be Named was after had been destroyed in the fight. But that  
was all he told us, I take it from what you two have said," she  
gestured to the two men, "that there's more to it than that?"  
  
Harry looked at the Auror he had known little more than a year and at  
his best friend's younger sister who he had only just began to consider  
a friend in her own right and came to a decision. He could trust both  
of them with his life, they had shown that loyalty and bravery during  
the fight at the end of his fifth year. That fight had come about  
because of secrets that had been kept and he didn't want that to happen  
again.  
  
He got up from the chair Lupin had forced him into when he had tried to  
flee the room grateful that nobody tried to stop him moving this time,  
and began to pace around trying to come up with the best way to say  
this.  
  
Stopping in front of the older man he stated: "I'm going to tell them.  
I don't care what Dumbledore thinks is best I need them to know. He  
might be able to deal with something like this without talking to  
anyone but I can't, I need my friends and they're probably the best  
people to deal with this, better equipped even than Ron or Hermione."  
  
Pleased as she was, and even honoured that Harry was choosing to share  
what was obviously quite a big and important secret with her, Ginny was  
quite shocked to hear Harry say that he thought she would be able to  
deal with it better then her brother or Hermione who were his two best  
friends.  
  
Looking at Ginny he said "Neville was right when he said the prophecy  
was destroyed. But that was only the official record of it.  
Dumbledore was the one to hear it, so he showed me a copy of it he has  
in his Pensieve." It seemed as though Ginny was going to say something  
at that point but all Harry wanted at that moment was to get this over  
with so he held up a hand to stop her before continuing, "Turns out  
that Trelawney is not the old fraud she appears to be. She just  
happens to have given two true prophecies. One that I heard during my  
divination exam at the end of my third year. And the other real  
prediction she gave... sixteen years ago, just before I was born."  
  
At that point he did stop, unsure that this was the best idea but  
knowing that he needed to talk about it Harry looked to his former  
professor for help. Just as Lupin was about to suggest to the boy, no,  
young man that he take over the task of explaining the full details of  
the prophecy to their two companions Ginny got up off of the couch  
where she had been sitting listening to them talk. She slipped in  
front of the chair in which Harry was sitting with his head bowed  
staring at the floor and crouched down.  
  
"It's OK Harry," she said softly, taking his hands in hers and  
squeezing them. "Whatever it is, we can deal with it together. You  
don't have to do this by yourself any more."  
  
Looking up he could see that Tonks was nodding her agreement with what  
Ginny had said "I'm behind you 100% Harry, whatever happens." she  
added.  
  
Harry squeezed Ginny's hands back once more and then pulled away from  
her, got up and starting pacing the room once more. Once he had made  
one full circuit of the small living room in which they sat he took a  
deep breath and without any preamble began to recite what he could  
remember of the Prophecy that had changed his life forever:  
  
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born  
to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month  
dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will  
have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand  
of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one  
with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the  
seventh month dies..."  
  
Once he had finished he fell silent but continued to pace around the  
room restlessly, without looking at anyone else.  
  
He had heard Tonks' sharp intake of breath as she realised just what  
the prophecy meant – that he would have no peace until either he died  
or he killed Voldemort - but had chosen to ignore it, wrongly assuming  
her reaction would be pity and feeling unable to deal with more pity at  
the present time.  
  
The four of them sat in silence for quite some time. Ginny and Tonks  
both needing time to take in and digest what they had just heard.  
Harry was pacing the room non-stop, aimless wandering from one part to  
another, giving no clear indication of what he was thinking or looking  
at anybody either and Remus simply sitting.  
  
Remus knew exactly what the two young women were going through having  
taken a period of several hours to fully digest quite what the prophecy  
meant for the wizarding world and for the young boy he would do  
anything for in particular.  
  
He also realised that Harry was very disturbed by this knowledge and  
the events of the last several years and needed help to learn that he  
wasn't alone and to deal with them with the help of those around him.  
He simply couldn't do it alone, nor could Remus alone convince him of  
that fact. So for the moment he simply sat waiting for the time when  
either Harry was ready to talk some more or Ginny or Tonks forced his  
hand and reached out and made him open up to them.  
  
  
  
Eventually Tonks grew weary of the silence that had surrounded them for  
more time then she was comfortable with and spoke up. "Are you ever  
planning to stop pacing, Harry?" she demanded of him for he seemed  
unable to stop moving. "You're making my legs ache just watching you."  
She added, patting the space on the sofa next to her and indicating  
that he should sit there. Once he was sitting next to her she asked,  
"Is there anything you want? Anything I can do for you?"  
  
He laughed bitterly in response to that. "What do I want? To go back  
in time and erase that day. I wish I had never heard that damn  
prophecy and I need Sirius, he shouldn't have died, it's all my fault!"  
Knowing that they would think otherwise, he tried to convince them  
that he was right, that it was his fault as he continued. "He died  
because I was so bloody stupid and naïve, Hermione was right, I do have  
a saving people thing, I should know better."  
  
  
  
Ginny had been feeling very angry ever since Harry had finished  
explaining the prophecy. She wasn't angry with him. She was angry at  
the world. He had lost everything and everyone he had ever cared  
about. Done more for the wizarding world in the five years he had been  
a part of it then most fully grown adults did in their whole lifetime.  
But still more was expected of him. So much was expected of him that  
he might even have to make the ultimate sacrifice.  
  
When she heard him say that Hermione was right and he should stop  
trying to save people she lost it and jumped up from her seat. "Don't  
you dare say that Harry Potter!" she fumed. "What about me? If it  
wasn't for you I would have died, I should have died, at the end of my  
first year." Coming to stand next to where Harry sat with Tonks she  
stopped, silent tears for the boy she loved streaming down her face,  
and added so quietly he had to strain to hear it, "Thanks for that.  
Guess I should have said that years ago, but still, better late then  
never, Mum always says." She had meant to stop here but noticing that  
Harry still wasn't convinced by what she said she forced herself to  
continue even though it was difficult for her. As she continued she  
inwardly cursed their mutual friend whose thoughtless, well meant  
comment had obviously caused the boy they both would do anything for  
endless hours of agony even though he had tried to hide it.  
  
"And what about Hermione herself? I remember hearing a story from Ron  
about how you and him rescued Hermione from a troll at the Halloween  
feast in your first year. Knowing my brother as I do, I can't believe  
that was his idea." she finished half laughing at the idea of Ron  
feeling the need to go save the bushy haired bookworm who he had hated  
the first time they met, and half crying for the agonies Harry had had  
to endure alone.  
  
Harry still sat there in silence trying to take in what she had said  
when Remus spoke up.  
  
"Harry, she's right. If you didn't have what a certain Miss Granger  
calls your 'saving people thing' young Ginny here would be six feet  
under rather then here with us today. The fact that you care about the  
people you know, even people you barely know, so much that you would  
put yourself at risk to save them is part of what makes you who you  
are. It is part of 'the power the Dark Lord knows not'. It's why we  
love and care for you!" It was hard for Remus to talk about this, but  
he knew it needed to be said, that Harry needed to hear it.  
  
"Hermione should never have said that to you, it wasn't fair of her.  
Yes, Sirius died. But he enjoyed that fight; he was bored stuck in the  
dreary old house all the time. When we heard of the fight you should  
have seen him. He was worried about you, scared he would lose you but  
he was happy that he would be able to do something, that he would be  
able to help you. Sirius would have done anything for you, he wouldn't  
want you to sit around like this blaming yourself."  
  
As Remus had been speaking Tonks had got up from her seat and moved to  
slip an arm around Ginny who was still crying quietly to herself,  
leaving him free to claim the spare seat next to Harry before  
continuing. "One day back last year when Sirius and I were by  
ourselves in Grimmauld Place, he asked me to promise him something. He  
made me promise that I would do everything in my power to look after  
you if something happened to him."  
  
Tears filled Harry's eyes as he heard this and he surreptitiously tried  
to brush the back of his hand across his eyes to get rid of them.  
  
Pretending not to have noticed this, Remus continued "seeing you trying  
to deal with all this by yourself, so obviously unhappy, I can't help  
feeling like I'm failing him, like I'm not keeping that promise. Your  
parents and Sirius didn't die so you could live a miserable life. They  
wouldn't want you to blame yourself, they loved you and would want you  
to be happy." He awkwardly reached out and placed an arm on Harry's  
shoulder, the closest gesture of support and affection he dared allow  
himself at that moment. He would have liked to hug the boy he  
considered his honorary godson but wasn't sure Harry was ready for that  
quite yet.  
  
Tonks nodded. "You are not to blame for any of the stuff that has ever  
happened to you Harry. No matter what you may think, no matter what  
anyone has ever said to you, it wasn't your fault. None of this was."  
  
Harry knew that what they said was true. It was just so hard for him  
to believe it sometimes. Feeling a little self-conscious and wanting  
to take their attention away from him, he asked, "I still don't get it  
though, not completely. And what about Ginny? That doesn't explain  
why she had to come too."  
  
"Dumbledore felt that the best way for you to learn to defend yourself  
properly and to have the best chance of surviving a final encounter  
with Voldemort was if you were to receive some special advanced one to  
one training." Tonks explained. "Ginny seeing as you're here you'll  
also be learning some of the stuff we'll be teaching Harry because you  
could probably benefit from it, but not all of it. There should never  
be any need for that." Then thinking again of the events the previous  
June at the ministry of magic and the fact that Ginny (or any of his  
friends) was unlikely to leave Harry to face a battle with Voldemort by  
himself, added "or at least I certainly hope not."  
  
Seeing confusion on Ginny's face, Remus quickly intervened and took  
over the explanation feeling that Ginny should hear the full story  
before deciding whether to share it with Harry or not. "That's not the  
full reason why we brought you here; if you want to go into your room  
I'll explain it to you in private."  
  
The redhead shook her head at that, her long vibrant hair flying around  
and covering her face before she abruptly brushed it away. "No,  
whatever it is, tell me here. Harry shared the prophecy with Tonks and  
me; I want them to know about this too. No matter what it is, I want  
them to know."  
  
"That's fine Ginny, if that's what you want. If you change your mind  
and want to stop at any time all you have to do is say, ok?"  
  
"No, this is what I want. I won't change my mind." Said Ginny,  
resolutely.  
  
"Have you ever noticed that you can tell how people are feeling?" he  
asked her, "like you can feel something from them that no one else can?  
And you just know instinctively what to do about it?"  
  
"I... I guess so." The girl replied. This was not what she had been  
expecting and so she had been caught more than a little off guard. He  
was right though, she had noticed that the sort of stuff he mentioned  
happened to her, she had noticed it more than once in the last years  
but she had thought it was her secret, she had thought nobody else knew  
of her talent.  
  
"Dumbledore pointed out your gift to me. He's noticed, and so has  
Professor McGonagall, since you've been at Hogwarts that other students  
who might be homesick, or having difficulties adjusting to life at  
school (or in the wizarding world in general) are drawn to you and that  
you just consciously make them feel better." At this point, Lupin  
thought it seemed as though Ginny wanted to say something and so paused  
but she simply gestured for him to go on with his explanation.  
  
"Then I started thinking about it too, thinking about the year I taught  
at Hogwarts and about last summer. Obviously there is no point in me  
trying to hide the fact that I am a werewolf, you all know that. But  
even before you knew of my condition, when I was teaching and trying to  
hide how badly I was feeling around the times of the full moon, being  
around you would make me feel better. You would always come up to me  
at the beginning or the end of a class when I was feeling my worst and  
ask if I was all right. I would always say yes and usually that would  
have been a lie but there was something about your very presence that  
could make a difference to me and for the next hour or so, I always  
would feel better – almost as though I was back to normal. It was as  
though I could forget about the moon and my transformation."  
  
"So I'm good with people who are having a tough time? Big deal. And  
you can't seriously expect me to believe that just my being in the room  
with you made you feel so much better, nobody could do that." Scoffed  
Ginny, not wanting to believe what she was being told.  
  
"Actually, there are certain people who can do that sort of thing.  
They're just very rare, so you probably wouldn't have heard of them.  
It would seem Ginny, that you possess the gift of Empathic Magic. You  
are an Innate Healer and you must learn to control that gift. That is  
why you are here."  
  
"Innate Healer? What does that mean? Why do I have to be here to learn  
about it? Why do I even have to learn about it, what if I don't want  
to?" Questions spilled from Ginny, she didn't know what to make of  
everything she had heard today, not just about her supposed gift but  
about the prophecy too.  
  
"Innate means natural, it means this is a natural skill you were born  
with. It means that you could with a little training be a stronger  
healer with your empathetic powers then any of the non-empathic healers  
at St Mungo's or any other hospital."  
  
Before he continued he hoped that Albus Dumbledore would understand the  
fact that by allowing Harry to share the full details of the prophecy  
with Ginny and Tonks and by telling Ginny any more about her gift then  
what he already had, he had broken the promise he had made him. He  
knew this next bit was going to be difficult for the youngest Weasley  
to take in, but unlike Dumbledore, he believed it was important for her  
to know it.  
  
"And as for why you have to learn about it, you don't, but do you  
really want to deny yourself something that is your destiny? You could  
be the best healer in the world in centuries if you put your mind to  
it, you would be the only innate healer in Britain since the war with  
Grindelwald." He could see that he had caught Ginny's attention that  
she really was quite interested in what he was saying.  
  
"Ok so I lied, I would like to learn about it. Even if it does mean I  
can't be an Auror like I wanted to be. But did I have to come here to  
learn to use this gift; couldn't I have learnt it at Hogwarts with  
Madam Pomfrey? And if I couldn't have stayed at Hogwarts, why did I  
have to go into hiding with you guys? Even if I do have to be here, if  
I wasn't in hiding then I could still have kept in touch with everyone,  
even seen them sometimes!"  
  
"Ginny, this really is for the best so I need you to listen carefully  
to what I've got to say and to hear me out. If after I've finished you  
still want to go back to your parents, I will speak to Dumbledore about  
the possibility of that; but I can't promise he will agree to it and I  
know your parents have already decided to do whatever Dumbledore  
recommends is best for you and Ron. Fair enough?"  
  
"Alright, go on then."  
  
"As you may or may not know, I know that Harry knows, but I don't know  
if he shared it with you or not, Professor Snape used to be a death  
eater and is currently spying for the order in their ranks."  
  
The sharp intake of breath from Ginny and the look on her face showed  
that this was in fact something that neither Harry nor his friends had  
shared with Ginny.  
  
"Now, that is something you must never ever tell anyone because  
Professor Snape's life could depend on it." Watching as both Ginny and  
Harry nodded their understanding of the seriousness of this he smiled  
gratefully at them and then continued. "He has given the Order reason  
to believe that Wormtail noticed your talent, Ginny, when he was living  
as Scabbers with your family and told Voldemort of it in passing, not  
realising exactly what it was. Snape believes though that Voldemort  
correctly identified it as empathy and healing and brought details to  
Dumbledore of plans to kidnap you and force you to use your innate  
skills against your will to benefit Voldemort in his plans to take over  
the world."  
  
"Well... well, I guess I'd better stay here then." With that Ginny burst  
into tears and moved to leave the room.  
  
Surprising all of his companions not least himself, Harry reacted to  
Ginny's tears by doing something that he had been wishing he could do  
for the last days. He wrapped his arms around the younger girl in a  
hug and he too burst into tears for everyone he had lost.  
  
Tonks stood there for a minute watching the two teens crying for  
everything and everyone that had been taken from them and for the  
futures they no longer believed they would have before she went into  
the kitchen, taking Remus with her to allow them some space to deal  
with this in private.  
  
  
  
Harry and Ginny stayed as they were, each crying and drawing comfort  
and support from the presence of the other for quite sometime.  
  
Two hours later Tonks decided that she had better check on them and  
found them curled up together on the sofa, having cried themselves into  
an exhausted sleep.  
  
Not wanting to disturb them, she conjured blankets and covered them up.  
She then sat in a chair so that she could be near them when then woke  
and sat there looking down at the two teens she considered her honorary  
younger brother and sister, thought of how unfair life had been to  
them. They would never have to be strong for her, she vowed. She  
would help them through this. 


	5. Recovery and Relief

Chapter Five – Recovery and Relief

_"Well… well, I guess I'd better stay here then."  With that Ginny burst into tears and moved to leave the room._

_Surprising all of his companions not least himself, Harry reacted to Ginny's tears by doing something that he had been wishing he could do for the last days.  He wrapped his arms around the younger girl in a hug and he too burst into tears for everyone he had lost._

_Tonks stood there for a minute watching the two teens crying for everything and everyone that had been taken from them and for the futures they no longer believed they would have before she went into the kitchen, taking Remus with her to allow them some space to deal with this in private._

__

_Harry and Ginny stayed as they were, each crying and drawing comfort and support from the presence of the other for quite sometime._

_Two hours later Tonks decided that she had better check on them and found them curled up together on the sofa, having cried themselves into an exhausted sleep.   _

_Not wanting to disturb them, she conjured blankets and covered them up.  She then sat in a chair so that she could be near them when then woke and sat there looking down at the two teens she considered her honorary younger brother and sister, thought of how unfair life had been to them.  They would never have to be strong for her, she vowed.  She would help them through this._

Eventually after she had been sitting watching Harry and Ginny sleep for just over an hour or so, Tonks noticed that Harry seemed to be beginning to stir. 

As she had watched him sleep she had been struck by how young and innocent he appeared as he slept.  There was none of the anger or pain that haunted his eyes, there was no sign of the dark circles and haggard look that indicated that he had gotten little sleep in the last several weeks.  There was just a not quite 16 year old boy… there was no sign that he had missed out on a childhood and been forced to grow up all too quickly, forced by a cruel destiny to taken on responsibilities that would crush men three times his age.  She wished she could see him look like that when he was awake too.  She wished she could give him back some of the freedom and innocence he had missed out on.

Yes, he was definitely in that pleasant state halfway between wakefulness and sleep, where you just want to snuggle in deeper to the blankets and drift back off to your dreams again.  Or at least that is what it was always like for her… she had heard stories about the visions and nightmares that Harry had been haunted by and she guessed that probably meant sleep wasn't something he found easy to get or enjoyable when he did get it.

Tonks really was trying to be quiet as she sat their watching Harry as he began to wake up and Ginny as she continued to sleep. 

But then Harry tried to turn over and got stuck because of the way he and Ginny were curled up together and it was just too funny.  He really didn't know where he was, or who he was with he was still so sleepy that all he knew was that he couldn't move because there was something on top of him.  So there he was trying to get it off of him without waking up completely.  And he didn't manage to do it.  But he did manage to succeed in shoving the still sleeping Ginny off of him and onto the floor.

The shock of hitting the floor unexpectedly was enough to wake Ginny up, the noise that ensued made sure that Harry woke up properly too. 

"W-what happened?  How did I end up down here?" the still sleepy and somewhat shocked redhead asked confusedly.

"Sorry Ginny" Harry said blushing furiously as he realised just what he had been running his hands all over as he attempted to get it off of him.  "I didn't realise that was you, I wouldn't have done it if I had, I promise…" breaking off, the poor boy ran from the room, too mortified to remain there any longer.

Ginny got up off of the floor and stared at the door Harry had run out of.  She didn't know what to say or do next, she didn't know what had just happened between her and Harry.

Tonks just sat there and laughed her head off at the two of them, they were both so embarrassed, and so clueless.  Oh, to be 15 again.

Eventually after an hour of hiding in his room, Harry decided to gather together all of his courage and face his friends again.  Stepping out of the door and walking through the house he found them sitting around the kitchen table talking about inconsequential things as they waited for him to join them.  Remus appeared to have a long-ish scroll of parchment in front of him that he appeared to be reading and annotating as the two ladies chatted and he made the odd comment.

"Wotcher, Harry" Tonks greeted him as he sat down and reached for the jug of ice water to pour himself a glass.

He smiled at the Metamorphmagus and turned to see what Professor Lupin, sorry, Remus, was doing but avoided looking at his fellow teen, still embarrassed by quite where his hands had ended up on her body earlier that day.  He just hoped she hadn't noticed how his body had reacted to what he had felt.

Remus cleared his throat and rolled up the scroll he was working on before Harry could quite make out what it was about.  Giving the older man something of a glare, Harry showed his annoyance at that.  Again, someone had promised to tell him everything and then was going around keeping secrets from him.  He couldn't believe it.

"It's not really anything of interest, Harry, Ginny." The tired werewolf addressed the two teens; "it's just a list of things Dumbledore felt we should attempt to do with the pair of you whilst we are here.  I was just making a few notes about what to do with what and how best to teach certain things.  You can have a look if you really want too but it's really not that interesting.  Still," he joked, "if you need any help to get to sleep tonight it's there."

Harry shook himself, annoyed that he had doubted his father's friend and grinned at him "No, Thank You!" he laughed, "So what's the plan for the rest of the day?"

Remus and Tonks exchanged a look before Remus continued, "First we'll have some dinner.  I had thought you two might like a little down time after that to absorb the events of the day after everything you've found out but…" he trailed off at this point knowing that neither of the pair were the type to back down from a challenge and if he suggested they either took a break or try something new depending on what they felt, both would opt to try something new. 

They didn't have the complete and overwhelming thirst for knowledge that their friend Hermione Granger did, but they enjoyed a challenge – particularly when it came to Defence against the Dark arts, a subject they both enjoyed and had a passion for.  Something he suspected came from the bad experiences and suffering they had both personally suffered because of Voldemort and his followers (or his younger self in Ginny's case).

Harry shook his head at that, "No, I'd like to do something.  I think it's good we talked about why we're here and I feel better now everyone knows about the prophecy but, I'd like, I need, to do something, take my mind off of everything."  Here he risked a quick glance at Ginny "I don't know how you feel," he asked her, "but sitting around thinking makes me feel worse, I'd rather do something useful."

"Yeah that sounds like a good idea." Ginny said, showing her willingness to go along with Harry.

Tonks grinned at the younger girl.  "Ah, a girl after my own heart!  I could never sit around watching and thinking and waiting." She shared.

As they talked Remus had quickly conjured them some dinner and taken it to the table.  It was just a simple meal of chicken and pasta salad but it was something they all liked and it was very tasty.  Generally, it was considered better to prepare real food either the magical or muggle way as opposed to conjuring it, but for the odd meal once in a while there was nothing wrong with conjuring something and if they were to do something else that day they needed to eat and get on with things or it would be too late to do anything.

"We aren't going to do anything major today, it's too hot and you guys are tired.  So we'll save the big stuff for tomorrow.  But there is something that we can do just sitting here and talking." Remus said as he ate.  "If you are to stand a chance in a fight you need to know how to just react instinctively, and not have to think you next move out.  Ginny, if you are to give a patient the best chance when you are healing them you need to just know intuitively what their injury is and the best way to treat it.  Indecision wastes time and can cost lives – maybe even your own."

Both Harry and Ginny nodded at that, it made sense.  What didn't make sense, however, was how they were going to learn to do that just sitting and talking.  Surely it would take more than that, surely they would have to practice fighting and duelling so they could learn what would work in different situations and circumstances?  Harry questioned Remus about that.

However it was Tonks who took it upon herself to answer.  "Well, yeah, eventually we will do some work on fighting and duelling and a healer will come to work with Ginny on the skills and techniques she will need to learn.  But for now, we're going to try something we used to do in Auror training." 

The mention that this was taught in Auror training guaranteed her the two teens undivided attention for the rest of the afternoon, Harry was determined to be an Auror if he survived Hogwarts and Voldemort, and Ginny might have just realised she would never fulfil her dream of being an Auror, but she was still interested.  She knew now what Harry would eventually face and even though she wasn't one of his best friends, she was determined that he wouldn't face it alone – she would be there whether he liked it or not.

"Now, this might seem a little weird, I thought my instructors were living in Cloud Cuckoo Land when they first mentioned us doing this, but it works and it's kinda fun.  You certainly learn a lot about the person you're doing it with.  We're going to try something called Word Association.  Basically, I'm going to say a word to you and you're going to respond with the first word that comes into your head and they I'll say the first word that I think of that relates to that and we go from there.  Here's the catch, though.  You don't get thinking time, you have to respond straight away." 

She wasn't so sure either of them was so keen on this now they couldn't see how it would help them.  "C'mon, give it a go.  You and me can pair up for now Harry and Ginny can go with Remus.  We'll give it fifteen minutes and then we'll swap, ok?"  She asked, finishing her meal and banishing her dishes to the counter in the kitchen.  "That was lovely, Remus.  Nice bit of conjuring!" she joked, getting up and gesturing Harry to follow her to the sofa before tripping on the rug.

Harry and Ginny couldn't help their giggles when their former professor stuck his tongue out at Tonks in response to her teasing.

He ran over from where he had been placing his dirty dishes in the kitchen and gave her a hand to get up and they were soon settled on the sofa.

"Alright, you know what you have to do?" she checked.  He nodded.  "The first word then, is Orange"

"Juice" he said, an unsure note in his voice

"Breakfast" she smiled at him to show he had the right idea.

"Bacon"

"Eggs"

"Chickens," that was enough talk about foodstuffs, he was getting hungry.

"Pigs"

"Sheep"

"Dog"

"Sirius…" as the name of the closest person to a father he'd ever had slipped out without him meaning it, Harry blushed and looked down at the floor.  The note of longing in his voice was clear; he was really missing his godfather.  It was the first time Harry or anyone around him had mentioned him since his death and it hurt.

"Do you want to stop, Harry?" she asked softly, concerned. 

He didn't look at her, only shrugged and continued staring at the floor. 

"I think maybe we should take a break."  She moved closer too him on the sofa and squeezed his shoulder.  "It's OK to miss him, Harry, I do too."

"It's not OK, though, is it?" he spat angrily at her, "it's my fault!"

"Harry, Harry, Harry, what are we going to do with you?" she knew she needed to make him believe it wasn't his fault but she didn't know how.  "It's not your fault, I thought we made that clear earlier this afternoon."

"It is!  I could have checked better when Hermione said it might be a trap; I should have listened to her.  I'm sorry Sirius, I'm so sorry…." He broke down in tears once again.

Tonks moved her hand away from his shoulder, fished out her wand and cast a privacy shield around the pair of them and then pulled him against her in a tight hug, rubbing his back and whispering to him soothingly as he cried out his grief once again.

It hurt her to watch him suffer like this and cry so much but she knew it was a healthy part of the grieving process and that he needed to do it in order to heal and move on with his life.  She was beginning to believe more and more that Dumbledore and Remus were right and Harry was medically depressed.  She sighed, she would have to try to broach the subject with him if she was to help him, but she didn't quite know how to do it.

Ginny really wasn't sure why they were playing this stupid game, it seemed really silly but she trusted Tonks and Remus (it felt really weird to call him that) and if they said this would come in useful to her in the future then she would give it her best shot.

"Dementor"

"Chocolate"

"Ice cream"

"Strawberry"

"Cheesecake"

"First day back" Ginny loved her mother's cheesecake, which she would always make on special occasions such as birthdays and the first day they were home from Hogwarts for the holidays.

"Holidays"

"Christmas"

"Presents"

"House-elf heads"

"Hats" they seemed to be almost discussing their shared memories of the last Christmas they had both spent at the Order Headquarters when her father was injured and recovering in St Mungo's.

"Scarves"

"Gloves…" here he paused, a slight noise, almost like a half stifled sob catching his attention. 

He would have continued but then he saw the flash that indicated either Harry or Tonks had put a privacy spell around themselves.  He knew that Harry was having a very hard time at the moment and figured that something must have happened to set him off again.  Hopefully Tonks would be able to comfort him.  He'd let them be for a while and then check to see if there was anything he could do. 

Somebody needed to stay with Ginny anyway.  She might not be having such a tough time as Harry was, but coming to Africa and leaving her family had still been extremely difficult for her and she too was missing Sirius.  It was very important to him that they didn't forget about her whilst putting all their efforts into helping Harry deal with his guilt and depression.

"Remus?"  Ginny questioned pulling him out of his reverie, "Is everything OK? Is Harry alright?"

"It's difficult, Ginny.  I don't think he is OK now, but with our help, he will be."

She nodded at that "But how can we help him, I hate seeming him like this, it isn't like him at all is it?"  She blushed a little as she continued, "I just want to help him…"

"What we need to do Ginny is make sure he knows he has all of us.  We need to be there for him if he needs to talk, if he needs a shoulder.  But we also need to help him get out of himself, try to stop him from wallowing in self pity whenever possible."

"So what you're saying is sometimes we need to be there for him but then maybe some other times we just need to distract him a bit, maybe try to give him something else to think about.  Maybe we should do something fun tonight, forget about everything?"

"That's an excellent idea." Remus answered "I know Tonks packed a few games and such that we could play and there are a couple of places around here where we could go out for a meal or whatever but they might be better left for another day when Harry's feeling a little better.  You have to realise Ginny that Dumbledore and I both believe that Harry might be suffering from what the Muggles call 'Clinical Depression' and that it's going to take time for him to get back to normal, perhaps many months."

"I've heard of depression, but what's clinical depression?" she questioned.

"It means his depression is quite severe and he might need to take a potion to help him recover from it.  It's likely his moods will fluctuate a lot, like we've seen, some days he will seem like he doesn't have a care in the world, others he will be like he is today.  Some days he might be very reckless and others he might be nervous and scared acting.  Exercise can help a lot with that and Dumbledore also believes you could both benefit from improving your fitness and stamina so starting tomorrow we will be doing stretches and running first thing every morning."

"Yes, I can see how being fitter could help in a fight.  Running and stretches?  Is that the only form of fitness training we will do?  I always wanted to learn to swim the muggle way."

Their conversation would have continued along this vein for a long time but they were interrupted once more by the privacy spell around Harry and Tonks coming down and Harry heading towards his room once more, pausing some what unwillingly only to let Tonks hug him one last time and ruffle his hair.

"Wotcher Remus, Ginny" Tonks said as she took a seat next to them.  She shook her head to get her hair out of her eyes and when that didn't work scrunched up her face and shrunk her hair down into a shorter style where it had no chance of getting in her way and annoying her.  "I convinced Harry to have an early night, see if some sleep helps him feel better.  He's not so sure about the idea of taking a potion to help stabilise his mood, but he did agree to take a dreamless sleep draught for now.  I said one of us would go in to him in about 20 minutes and take it to him."

"Thank you, Tonks." Remus replied, "I didn't expect him to agree to medication straight away, we'll see how he gets on and if it comes to it I can take another go at convincing him in a couple of days.  I think I'll take a walk for a few minutes and then I'll take Harry his potion" he quickly left leaving the two young women to chat.

Remus slowly walked the short route he planned to have them take when they went running the next morning.  They would eventually be running much longer trails but this short 1 mile route would be more than enough to start with.  Hogwarts was a fantastic school and he had never been happier than he was in his seven years as a student there and one year as a professor, but it placed little emphasis on physical fitness and so whilst playing Quidditch had ensured that neither Ginny nor Harry were out of shape as such, they weren't as fit as they perhaps could be and he was sure that they would find the mile enough of a challenge to begin with.

He soon realised that the twenty minutes he had to himself were nearly up and he would soon have to take Harry his dreamless draught.  As he walked back to the house he would soon learn to call home, he looked up at the skies and the stars and said a prayer to his friends who had gone before him and hoped he could find a way to protect and help the young boy.


End file.
